The Oscars made history in 2017 by awarding a record number of black artists, which showed tremendous progress when it comes to inclusion and diversity in filmmaking.
While this Oscar season is shaping up to revert to its #OscarsSoWhite ways, the Academy still has an opportunity to make history again by recognizing a role that no black woman has ever been nominated for: a comedic one.
Only 31 black women have been nominated for Academy Awards for their lead and supporting work. And when they’ve won, they have been recognized for playing slaves (Lupita Nyong’o, Hattie McDaniel), a maid (Octavia Spencer), an abusive mother (Mo’Nique), a psychic (Whoopi Goldberg), a ‘60s singer in a girl group (Jennifer Hudson), a 1950s housewife with few life options (Viola Davis), and a hypersexualized widow (Halle Berry).
Scrolling through these nominations is mining through some extremely heavy and dark material. Very rarely does a black woman get recognized for a comedic project (although comedic actresses like Mo’Nique and Goldberg have been highlighted for their dramatic work). Goldberg’s Oda Mae Brown in Ghost is probably the most comedic of the winners, but the heart of the film follows a murdered lover (Patrick Swayze) trying to save his girlfriend (Demi Moore) – not exactly a laugh-out-loud lark.
But for the upcoming Academy Awards in 2018, Tiffany Haddish in Girls’ Trip could make history as the first black woman to ever be nominated for a straight-up comedy. Should she get nominated for her scene-stealing role, she would be representing a black character whose most tragic situation is getting ejected from a fancy hotel after trying to stab her best friend’s cheating husband (relax—she still ends up getting back into the hotel eventually!).
Haddish is a revelation in the film, and when she’s not on screen, you crave her to come back into view. She’s the friend you want to have and the one you sometimes hate to have. And the grapefruit scene is the most-talked-about comedic sex scene since Jason Biggs thrusted his penis into an apple pie.
Watching Haddish on screen in Girls’ Trip feels similar to watching Melissa McCarthy’s career come alive in Bridesmaids, for which McCarthy would go on to be nominated for an Academy Award. And Haddish’s trajectory is similar to McCarthy’s, with a female-driven summer hit, a gig on Saturday Night Live, and years of comedic supporting work.
Let’s make history, Oscars. This is the year to change the Academy narrative. Let’s start to recognize black actresses for being strong, powerful, beautiful. . .and hilarious.
